Is imposing a racial quota on schools an effective way to achieve racial integration?

I feel that imposing a racial quota on schools is a band-aid solution to the lack of racial integration within our schools.

First, I am not sure whether the enforcement of racial quota in public schools is constitutional? Can the Ministry of Education enforce a policy that states whether a citizen (student) is allowed to enter a particular school based solely on his or her race, due to the race quota?

Second, has there been empirical evidences showing greater racial integration ever since the imposition of the HDB race quota? Have Malay, Indian and Chinese families been interacting cross-racially more with one another after 1989 within their HDB blocks? Will we have more cross-racial interaction within schools if the racial quota is enforced?

Third, we need to determine who are the beneficiaries and losers from the enforceable of the racial quota in schools? On the surface, it appears that the minorities' students will benefit from the racial quota. However, imposition a racial quota distorts our meritocracy based public education system. I will argue that targeted programs should be developed to assist the academically weaker students, regardless of the students' race.

Fourth, is the enforcement of the race quota used to expedite racial integration, or to improve on the school's overall academic performance? Both objectives are of a different nature, and it is important to apply the most relevant solution to the respective issues.

I think Singapore should have more matured and honest conversations within the public and private spheres on race. It is important to recognize that we are not in the 1960s, and that Singaporeans are now more educated, with a greater awareness of how race can easily divide society, by looking at other countries.

No doubt the race riots in the 1950s and 60s are still fresh in our country' s short history, but I will argue that bad speeches and ideas on race should not be indiscriminately muted, but been countered by better speeches and ideas on race within our society.

More importantly, I hope that we will have faith that as Singaporeans, we will be able to be face the recent onslaught of race-related issues that threaten our social stability with honesty, maturity and humility, regardless of our ethnicities.